Charith Asalanka, who has retained his role as well as a spot in the squad, faced the press ahead of the start of the ODI series between England and the Lankans and admitted to the flaws of the scheduling of the series.
While every team is focused on playing T20I cricket ahead of the World Cup, an ODI series for Sri Lanka seemed an odd decision for the co-hosts. The matches have been scheduled for the 22nd, 24th, and 26th of January and will be played in Colombo.
Even the Lankan skipper admitted that this was just not the ideal time for the 50-over format matches; Charith Asalanka remarked, “Not suitable for this time, because it’s ODI cricket, not T20 cricket. A lot of the T20 players are not in the squad; I think this is, for the most part, preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup.”
The Lankans have not made many changes to the ODI squad. As many as 14 players have retained their spots from the previous series against Pakistan. However, a few new additions have been made, which include the experienced Dhananjaya de Silva alongside Dunith Wellalage and Milan Rathnayake.
The spin department of the Lankans looks convincing as always; however, the pace deck is what looks relatively flaky. With several frontline pacers in Dusmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, and Nuwan Thusara lacking in the squad, they might struggle within the powerplay and the death overs.
